Vehicle-curtain.



t. Smm.

VEHICLE CURTAIN.

APPLICATION min rss. a, w15.

Ll, Patented Jam. 16, 1916.

Turk

ERNEST SMITH, F FBT THOMAS, KENTUCKY.

VEHICLE-CURTAIN. l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

Application led February 8, 1915.. Serial No. 6,915.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Thomas, in the county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle- Curtains, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to vehicle curtains. It is the object of my invention to mount and control the curtain in novel manner, so

that the same may be conveniently opened l and closed, and the invention will be furtherY readily understood from the following description and claims, and from the drawing,

in which latter:

tain in closed relation, and the cover of the spring-case removed. Fig. 5 is an enlarged axial section of the curtain operating means, taken on a line corresponding to the line 55 of Fig. 4 and, Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the curtain in open relation secured to the inside of the top 'of the vehicle.

The body of the vehicle, instanced as an automobile, is represented at 7, partly broken away. The body has a door 8 hinged to the body proper by hinges 9. A top for.

the body is shown at 10 and comprises upright bows 11, 12, and a cover 13.

14 is a support which extends longitudinally of the top, and may be a wire, cable or rod. It is illustrated as a wire, secured at its respective ends to hooks 15, 16, attached to the upright portions of the bows.

The curtain, shown at 17, comprises a series of sections 18, provided with anels 19. The curtain-sections are connected y hinges 20, 21, which may be formed by the goods of the curtain, and swing alternately inwardly and outwardly for arranging the outer faces 22 of the curtain-sections and the inner faces 23 of the curtain-sections respectively face to face when-the curtain is open, that is to say, the sections of the curtain are arranged flatwise against each other.

The support 14 extends through holes 24 in the upper ends of the curtain-sections for suspending the curtainsections pivotally therefrom, so that when the curtain is open and the curtain-sections arranged flaftwise against each other, the curtain may be swung on the support as a pivot into an outof-the-way position, and supported upon a bracket 25, suitably placed in the inside of the vehicle top. 1

I provide means whereby the curtain is readily and quickly drawn aside to clear the door-space for the entrance or exit of passengers. For controlling the curtain for this purpose, a drum 31 is provided, this drum being journaled on a shaft 32 in a case 33 attached to one of the sections of the curtain, as by means of rivets 34 extending through lugs 35 on the case and through said section of the curtain, for firmly securing the case to said section of curtain. The curtain-section to which the case is secured is preferably adjacent to the hinged end of the door 'when the curtain is closed. A flexible connection 36, instanced as a wire cable, has one of its ends secured, as at 37, to the drum, the other end of said flexible connection having thereon a retaining member 38, shown as a ring. Said other en d of said flexible connection is secured, as at 39, to the end-section of the curtain removed from said case, the flexible connection passing through the holes 24 of the intermediate curtain-sections, and extending parallel to the support 14. A spiral spring 41 is received in the bore 42 of the drum, one end of this spring being secured, as at 43, to the shaft 32, which is rigidly secured in the case, and the other end of the spring being secured, as at 44, to the drum, for normally winding the flexible' connection upon the drum and normally drawing the outer end of said flexible connection inwardly.

In operation, if it is desired to close the curtain, the curtain is swung downwardly so as to be suspended from the support 16, and thering 38 is grasped by the fingers and pulled laterally, whereby the curtain-sections are extended and the flexible connection is unwound from the drum, this flexible connection passing through the opening 45 in the case. The ring is pulled for extending the arrangement of the curtain-sections until the curtain is entirely extended, whereupon the ring is brought into coacting rela- 'tion with a coacting securing member, in-

stanced as the hook 15, secured to the framework Aof the top.

`vents buckling of the curtain-sections or the hinges thereof,.and insures proper flatwise arrangement of the curtain-sections., The entire curtain may be pushed back and all of the curtain-sections folded one against the other, if desired.

The ease, when the curtain-sections are ar? ranged flatwise against one another, is located between two of the curtain-sections and is out of view and arranged to be swung pivotally upon the support lil` with the curtain-sections when the curtain is swung inwardly to be out of the way.

Havingl thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

.1. The combination of a vehicle-body, a hinged door therefor, and a top for said body above said door, a support on said top, a curtain comprising curtain-sections pivoted togetherand suspended from said support and arranged to slide lengthwise on said support, a case at one end of said curtain above the hinged end of said door, a spring-wound drum in said case, a flexible connection secured to and actuated by said spring-wound drum passing intermediate curtain-sections and having connection with messes a section of said curtain removed from said case, and coacting releasable securing means distaneed from said case between said flexible connection and said top constructed and arranged whereby said curtain is automaticallyfolded away from a position above said door upon release of said releasable securing from, a case, a drum in said case, a flexible connectionone end whereof isjsecured to said drum,l and a spring in said drum arranged to normally wind said flexible connection upon said drum, said case secured to the face of one of the sections of said curtain and said flexible connection received through said holes of intermediate curtain- "sections and having pulling connection with a section' of said curtain removed from said case, and said case located between opposed faces of said curtain-sections when said `curtain-sections are arranged face to face.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence'of two subscribing witnesses.`

` ERNEST SMITH.

Witnesses:

COLEMAN AVERY, THEREsA M. SILBER. 

